Books- I am going to use books to find some information about abortion and what the term abortion means.
What is abortion?
Abortion is a procedure carried out on a pregnant woman who wants to end her pregnancy. It is the termination of a foetus before it can survive outside the mother’s womb. The foetus is normally aborted before 24 weeks of pregnancy but in some more severe cases the foetus can be aborted up to 28 weeks.
Types of abortion
There are 4 types of abortion depending on how many weeks old the foetus is. The 4 types of abortion are:
- Up to 9 weeks- Early medical abortion
- 5 to 15 weeks- Vacuum aspiration abortion
- 15 to 19 weeks- Surgical dilation and evacuation
- 20 to 24 weeks- Surgical two-stage abortion
90 percent of abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Only 1.3 percent takes place after 20 weeks.
History on the abortion law
In 1803 abortion was a crime because abortion was illegal in the UK and medical professors worried that abortion was dangerous and carried out by people who knew nothing about abortion, this was known as backstreet abortion. As abortion was illegal in 1803 women had no choice but to turn to backstreet abortionists this had resulted to many deaths of women whilst the abortion was taking place. In 1914 women tried to kill the foetus themselves by falling down a flight of stairs or taking drugs.
Law on abortion in 1967
Abortion was legalised on October 27th 1967 and came into effect on April 27th 1968. Abortion was legal as long as it was performed by a registered practitioner in an NHS hospital or in a private clinic.
The act allowed women to nave an abortion on the following reasons:
- To save the mothers life.
- To prevent permanent injury to the mothers physical or mental health.
- Under 28 weeks to avoid injury to the physical or mental health of the mother.
- Under 28 weeks to avoid injury to the physical or mental health of any existing child(ren).
- If the child was likely to be severely physically or mentally handicapped.
The abortion reason also had to be discussed and confirmed between two doctors and only then could be performed. Doctors and medical staff had the legal right to reject some cases of abortion.
Law on abortion in 1990
In 1990 changes were made to the abortion act by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology act. It introduced a time limit of 24 weeks for reasons 2 and 4. Reasons 1,3 and 5 were now without any limit. Before this change had taken place there was a 28-week limit for all the reasons.
The act also said that if a woman was to have multiple births the doctor could terminate 1 or more of the foetuses in order to leave the other alive.
Why was abortion legalised in 1967?
Abortion was legalised in 1967 because a large number of abortions were taking place illegally. Also doctors were charging desperate women high fees of money privately and between 60,000 and 120,000 backstreet abortions took place illegally.
Other reasons for abortion
Many women also have an abortion privately for the following reasons:
Having financial problems.
- Being single and lacking support.
- Being homeless or no secure base,
- Not wanting children at all.
- Being pregnant as a result of incest or rape.
- Having relationship or marriage problems.
- Having a pregnancy that will result in a seriously handicapped baby.
- Being to young or maybe to old.
- Having a serious disease that would be made worse by the pregnancy.
Where is abortion legal in Europe?
1.Republic of Ireland 11. Sweden
2.United Kingdom 12.Finland
3.Portugal 13.Estonia
4.Spain 14.Russia
5.France 15.Switzerland
6.Belgium 16.Italy
7.Netherlands 17.Slovenia
8.Germany 18.Austria
9.Denmark 19.Czech republic
10.Norway 20.Poland
The map above shows countries in Europe where abortion is legal but only under certain circumstances.
Abortion Statistics
Ages of women who have had an abortion.
2000 Abortions on residents in England and Wales, by age group:
This table shows the age group of women who have had an abortion in England and Wales. Women aged 20-29 have had the most abortions. Women over 45 had no abortions.
Married and single women abortion statistics
In 1995 in England and Wales:
- 66% abortions were to single women
- 22% abortions were to married women
- 8% abortions were to divorced, separated or widowed women
- 4% were unidentified
These statistics show that more single women were having an abortion than married women.
Abortion statistics in England and Wales in
The table shows the number of abortions in the UK since the abortion act in 1967. This shows that since the abortion law became legal there has been an increase in abortions over the years and the abortion rate is getting higher and higher. This table proves that changes in the abortion law have resulted in an increase in the number of abortions in the UK.
Public opinion on abortion
The public in United Kingdom support legal abortion. A poll that took place on February 1997 showed that 64% agreed to the statement ‘abortion should be made legally available for all those who want it’ and only 25% disagreed. The percentage of British people who agreed to the statement had increased by 10% and the percentage that disagreed fell by 11% since 1980.
Chart to show statement ‘abortion should be made legally available for all those who want it’.
This pie chart shows that more people approve of abortion than disapprove. This proves that changes in attitudes towards pregnancy have resulted in an increase in abortion.
Circumstances when people approve and disapprove of abortion
Approve Disapprove
When the woman’s life is in danger 93% 3%
When the woman’s health is at risk 88% 6%
In a case of rape 88% 20%
When the child would have a mental disability 67% 21%
When the woman is under 16 58% 29%
Conclusion
The attitudes towards pregnancy have increased the rate of abortion because more people now think that abortion should be legal. My pie chart proves this. People nowadays think that abortion is the only solution for an unwanted pregnancy.
The rate of abortions has risen due to the change of law because since abortion has become legal in 1968 there has been a rise in the number of abortions each year. Since the abortion act in 1967 over 4.7 million abortions have been performed over the past 30 years. My table of abortion statistics can prove this.
Evaluation
I think both my primary sources could have been better. My questionnaire could have been better because I only gave 20 out to people of different age groups. If I had given around 50 questionnaires out I would have gotten more accurate results. I would also add a few more questions on it. My interview could have been better because the vicar had no time to answer too many questions so I only asked a few which weren’t of any help. I should have interviewed someone who had been through an abortion that would have been more interesting.
